Summer Undergraduate Research Experience  >  Research Mentors

Genetic regulation of development and morphogenesis in C. elegans embryos, including: how do cells in the early embryo determine and maintain their shape and polarity, what genes direct coordinated cell migration during development, and can cell migration phenotypes in C. elegans serve as a model for human disorders including spina bifida and cancer.

I grew up near Akron, OH. In 1998, I got my BA in Biology/Pre-Med at Taylor University, a liberal arts college in Upland, IN (a rural town of only 2500). Several teaching opportunities in undergrad led me to the realization that I would rather teach than attend medical school. I got my MS in Cellular and Molecular Biology at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2000. My masters research focused on genetic modification of several proteins involved in blood clotting. I even got a patent for one of the proteins I created. In the spring of 2006, I received my PhD in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research there focused on the signaling pathways that regulate cell polarity and cell migration during embryogenesis of the nematode C. elegans.

I started my career as an Assistant Professor here at Truman State University in 2006. I look forward to getting students involved in the research projects in my lab examining embryogenesis in C. elegans.

My hobbies include bicycling, fishing and spending time with my wife and year-old son.